Bon Bini! That means "welcome" in Papiamentu, a "colorful Creole dialect" and local language of Curaçao. I learned that on the Curaçao Tourism website.

Yes, we've booked our honeymoon! Up until a couple of months ago, I can't say I'd even heard of Curaçao. I definitely did not know how to pronounce it, or how it was spelled. Apparently I'm not alone.

The tourism board says "this secluded slice of paradise is the Caribbean's best-kept secret." And luckily for us and our early October honeymoon, it lies outside of the hurricane belt.

Curaçao is an island in the southern Carribean Sea, off of the Venezuelan coast. It is the largest and most populous of the three, small ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao) of the Lesser Antilles, specifically the Leeward Antilles. Thanks, Wikipedia!

Its heritage is both European and African. In addition to Papiamentu, people there speak Dutch, Spanish and English. We're staying on a beautiful resort located on Piscadera Bay, which boasts capturing the "best of old-Amsterdam charm."

Can't wait to experience this rich culture, and to lay back and completely relax on a post-wedding beach vacation.



Downtown: Willemstad harbor in Curaçao